Sign.



' WQ E. BlooKER;

SIGN.

PPLmATIoN FILED sBPT.so,1e11.

Patented May 21, 1912.

SNCM-Mu,

, vertical guideways' UNITED strarss Parana. OFFICE.

yWILLIAM. EDWARD BOOKEB, E BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

sien

Specication of Letters .Patent i Application tiled` September 30, 1911.Serial No. 652,146.

f Patenteaiuayai, 1912.

To all whom it my'concem: Be it, known that` I, lWILLIAM EDWARD Boonen,a citizen `of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the. State ofMaryland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Signs, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to signs and particularly to one adapted to beused'for the purpose of electrically displaying the numbers of dwellingsor business houses or fthe like, the object of the invention being toprovide means whereby the numbers of the house will be clearly'visibleto pedestrians or the one desiring to locate a particular house.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sign which' will includean electrically operated bulb, and means for yieldingly supporting thesign to prevent the breakage of the filament. of the lamp undervibration.

Another object of the invention is to provide astructure wherebyaperfect ventilation f thelamp casing can be obtained so-` a/s/ toprevent the casing from becoming /overheate-d.

In the drawing, forming avlportion of this speciiication and in whichlike numerals of4 reference indicate similar parts inthe severalviews:-Figure 1 is a view 4showing the aplication of the `sign to a doorstructure. ig.` 2 isa horizont-alsection on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig.`3is a vertical section taken on line 3-31'of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is aviewsimilar to Fig.2 showing a slightly modified form of the transversesection through the `device shown in Fig. 4.

The device is primarily intended for useupon dwellin swhere pedestrianskcan readily ascertain the number of the house on a dark night.

The device shown in Figs. 1 to 3,`inclusive,

of the drawing, comprises a rectangular A casing 1 whichisopen at itsfront side. The casing is provided at its front side with the 2. At thebottom, the casing is provided with a stop 3.y closure-plate 4 isslidably mounted rin the guide 2 andits movement may be limited throughIits 'contact with the stop 3. The bottom wall of the casing has formedtherein an opening 5. `Theftop wall has an opening 6 therein. Theclosure-plate 4 has an upper manipulating fla'nge 7 thereon which isspaced fromthe top wall of the casing at a point immediately above theopening 6 invention. Fig. 1s altherein to provide an effectivefinger-engag-` ing portion 8. The portion 8 issuiiciently spaced fromthe opening 6 so that the air may be drawn into the casing from thebottom and freely passed from the casing at the top.

The closure-plate 4 is, in effect, a display member and it has stampedtherein the n'umbers 9. Atthe rear, the member 4 is provided with upperand lower longitudinal guides 10 and at one end the member is providedwith a vertical stop 11. A transparent plate 12 of any suitable color isremovably mounted in the longitudinal guides 10. It may be brought tobear against the behind the transparent plate 12 so that Iwhenl the bulbis lightedthe numbers of thes'ign A'will be in-full display. The bulb isarranged in the electric circuit 18. This circuitincludes a contact 19and a circuit-closing switch 20.*- In practice, I preferably arrange thecasing 1 on the separating bar A between the transom B and the door C.The bar A by means of' casing 1 is held to the the retaining devices 21.Two ofthese de- .vic'es' are .preferably employed and each comprises aVfastening' screw`22, a porcelain washer 23, and a yieldablesubstantially eggshapedy member 24. The screw is passed through throughthe washer and it 'is engaged shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. Themem-`423 andthe member 24 bers 24 yieldin ly hold the casing 1 on the frameand bar A of the oor structure or they operate to absorb the shock onthe sudden closing of the door C to thereby prevent the breakage of thefilament in the bulb 17. kThe electriccircuit in which the bulb 17 isarranged may -be wired 'into the .vestibule into which the door C' opensand the switch 2O may be secured in the vestibule where it will bedisposed operator.

with the bar A as clearly for convenient reach of the the rear wall ofthe casing 1 and The opening 6 is sol constructed that the plate 12 andthe guides l0 and 11 therefore may freely pass therethrough whendisconnectingl the closure plate l from the casing or in connecting thesame thereto.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the casing 25 isprovided in itsrear wall with the Ventilating passa s 26. The bottom ofthis casing is provicd With-'the attaching flanges 27 which may besecured to the bar D bythe yieldable lfestem ing devices 28. The casing25 has one of its end walls rovided with' an throughwlneh the'plate 12and the guides therefor are adapted to freely pass on adjustment of thestencil plate upon the casing. To prevent the accidental opening of theclosure-plate 29 in this form of the invention, I provide the casing 25with a latch member 30 which is designed to engage in the opening 3l inthe closure-plate 29 when the latter is in'its full closed position.

The fastening screws 22 are provided within the casing with heads 22which are adapted to` engage against the rear Wall of the signunder theinliuence of the members 24. This construction is such that the slidying movement of the sign will be limited in one direction. It is statedthat the members 24 are of substantially` egg form, briefly referring tothese members 1t is also true that opening 28a p :ture in presence oftwo witnesses.

they are of gradually decreasing diameter in the direction away from thesign so that the small ends ofthe members bear directly against the barA or other support upon which the sign is mounted. Now, 1t is statedthat due to this construction of the members 24 their elasticity isgreater toward' their small ends, whereby the shock is effectively takenup and subsequently transmitted to the large ends lof the memberswithout imparting detrimental vibrations to .the sign.

I elaimz-f A sign comprising'a casin havin an open side portion, astencil p ate sli ably mounted across the open side of the casing,one'of the walls of the casing having an opening therein through whichthe stencil plate is adapted to be drawn, a trans arent member at oneside of the plate, an illuminating device located in the casing 'anddisposed behind the said transparent member,

-and a manipulating portion formed on the stencil ing.

In testimony plate and overhanging the said openivhereof I affix mysigna'- Witnesses:

STEVEN GRAY, j W. I-I. PAIRo..

